Diane Calvin trained as an environmental engineer and has worked in the fields of resource recovery and energy efficiency for many different organizations including local governments, state recycling non-profits, environmental non-profits, state government, private consulting, and school districts. Her early work in solid waste management focused on strengthening local economies through recycling and developing markets for recyclables. Most recently, she coordinated a pilot project to test food waste collection for off site commercial composting for a school district in Massachusetts. She sees school food rescue and food waste reduction as a unique opportunity to slow environmental degradation and improve lives of her neighbors in a lasting way.

Antonia Bryson practiced law for 30 years in New York City specializing in environmental and land use law. Her vast experience in this field includes having served as a Deputy Commissioner of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Chair of the Manhattan Solid Waste Advisory Board, and Chief of the Environmental Division of the New York City Law Department. She founded the Urban Environmental Law Center, working as an advocate for community groups and nonprofits. She has been Environment Chair for the Food Policy Council since moving to Rhode Island 5 years ago and has served on the boards of the Southern Rhode Island Conservation District and the Wood Pawcatuck Watershed Association.

Melanie Saunders has a journalism and creative writing background, and has written for publications based on and around Aquidneck Island. She works as Hunger Services Program Coordinator at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center in Newport and manages Aquidneck Community Table’s Food Explorers, an educational program that teaches elementary-aged children about the importance of local foods and growing food themselves. An avid environmentalist, she serves on the City of Newport’s Energy and Environment Commission, helping public schools improve their waste practices. She, her two young children and husband are working toward a zero-waste household in Newport.